Electric switch.



-No. 847,087. PATENTED MAR. 12, 1907.

G. W. LIDEN. V

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.23,1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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G. W. LIDEN. ELECTRIC SWITCH. APPLIoArIdN FILED NOV 2a 1905 2SHEETS-SHEET 2'.

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GUSTAV w. LIDEN, or NEW YORK, Y.

ELECTRIC SWITCH. 7

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 12, 1907.

Application filed November 23, 1905. Serial No- 288,717.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GUSTAV W. LIDEN, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the countyand State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Electric Switch,of which the following is a ,full, clear, and exact description.

yinvention relates particularly to what is known as knife-bladeswitches, and has for its object to provide a simple, economic, andreadily-applied latch which will automatically lock the switch as theswitch is closed and automatically unlock the switch as it is opened. Y

A further purpose of the invention is to provide a very simple,positive, and strong connection between the fuses and theirbinding-posts, necessitating the use of but a single screw.

- The invention consists in the novel construction and combination ofthe several parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointedout in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding'parts in all the figures. 1

Figure l is a plan view of the improved switch. F ig'. 2 isalongitudinal central section through the same. Fig. 3 is a perspectiveview of one of the combined binding and knife-hinge posts. Fig. 4 is atransverse vertical section taken 'practicallyon the line 4 4 of Fig. 1,and Fig. 5-is a plan view of a slightly-modified form of the switch.

A represents the base or support for the switch, which base or supportis preferably made of slate, and under the form of construction shown inFigs. 1 and 2 two fuses are mounted parallel with each otherlongitudinally of the said base, and each fuse is provided with abindingpost B at its outer end and a combined binding and knife-hingepost B at its inner end. Each of the binding-posts B consists of asubstantiallyflat body 12, the inner end of which body is more or lessenlarged and is provided with a horizontal slot 13. .The sa1d slots 13receive the horizontal members of angular connectingplates 14, thevertical members of the said plates being attached to the outer'ends ofthe said fuses, as is best shown in Fig. 2. These connectin -plates areheld infirm en agement withthe ody portions of the bin -post s.throughapertures made in the B by means of single tap-screws 15, whichpass through the slotted portions of the said indin'g-posts and into thesaid base, if desired. The'binding-posts B are provided at their outerends with binding-screws 16 of any approved type. Each of the combinedbinding and knife-hinge posts B are of the same construction and eachconsists of a substantially fiat base 12*, thickened somewhat at itsinner end and provided at said end with a longitudinal slot 13", andtheslots13" of the said posts B receive the horizontal members ofangular connecting-plates 14", whose vertical members are secured to theinner ends of the fuses. These lates are secured to the body portions 120 B by single tap-screws 15.

At the outer end portion of the body of each combined binding andknife-hinge posts an upwardly-extending pillar 17 is made integral withthe base, and the said pillars at their upper ends are provided eachwith a vertical slot 18 and with apertures 19, extending through theslotted portions from side to side, as is shown best in Fig. 3. A.

the posts 1 knife-blade C is provided for each of the binding)-posts B,the inner ends of the said 1 blades eing made to enter the slots 18 inthe pillars 17 of the said osts B and have hinge connection therewit bypassing suitable bolts or pins 20 through the apertures 19 in thepillars 17 and corresponding apertures'in the knife-blades.

The outer end portions of the knife-blades Careadapted to engage withcontact-posts D, which latter posts are located near the end portion ofthe base, as is shown in both Figs.

1 and 2, and each of the said contact-posts consists of a substantiallyflat body 21, secured to the base by a binding-screw 22and a pillar 23,which extendsv up preferably from the inner end of. the body, the up orouter edge of-which bjevel, asis's own at 24, and below thisbeyel-surface-24 of the pillar in the same or (inter side arecess 25 isproduced. Fur-' thermore, the upper end portion of each illar 23'isprovided with a vertical slot 26, a apted to receive the outer endportion of a knifeblade when the switch is closed.

illar 23 is given a ownwardioo The'outer ends of the'knife-blades C aresecured to a cross-bar 27, made of insulating material, andinwardly-extending rods '28 are secured attheir outer ends to the saidcross-bar 27, and said rods pass loosely IIO ody29of a of the saidl'atch-plates'are made to-enter and have movement in slots 29, producedin the In the further construction of the latch springs 30 latch E,located between the cross-bar and the contact-posts D. The body 29 ofthe latch E is made of insulating material, and said body at each end isprovided with a metal latch-plate 31', the said latch-plates extendingout beyond the ends of the body and be yond their inner sides, and theouter portions knife-blades C near their outer ends.

I v arecoiled around the rods 28, which springs are located between theouter side face of the the knife-blades the latchlat'es by theirengagement with the incline surfaces 24 of the contact-posts would makea good contact, said plates thus serving as conductors. I

A release-rod 32 is secured in the central body portion of the latch Eby means of a nut 33, for example, and a collar 33*, and thisrelease-bar extends'out loosely through an opening in the centralportion of the crossbar 27 as is shown in Fig. 2, and is provided with ahead 34 at its outer end. A handle F is provided to operate the latchand to raise and 'tolower the said knife-blades, and the said handle ispivoted in ears v 35,'pr'oduced upon'the upper face of-the cross-bar 27,and

- said handle F near its pivot-point is provided with adownwardly-extending forked finger 36, the forked portion whereofreceives a release-rod 32 at the rear of its head 34. Thus in operation,the switch being locked and it being desirable to open the same, as thehandle F is elevated the latch E is released from locking engagementwith the contact-posts:

D and the connected knife-blades are carried up out of enga ement withsaid contact-posts and can be rea ily drawn over upon the fuses.

' When the switch is to be closed, the handle'is also utilized to carrythe knife-blades over and force them down into the slots 26 of the 1contact-posts D, and in so doing thelatchplates of the latch E arecompelled to engage with said contact-posts and to enter the re-' cesses25 when the knife-blades have been seated in such posts.

In Fig. 5 'I-have illustrated a slight modification of the switch,'inwhich three fuses 10 are employed. The binding-posts for all of thefuses are the same asv shown in Fig. 1 and are similarly desi nated. Allof the knifeblades C are attac ed to a cross-bar'27 cor i It is obviousthat should an imper fect contact occur between the posts D andresponding to the cross-bar 27 and made also of insulating material, andbetween the two outer knife-blades C a latch E is mounted to slide,corresponding to the latch E, the latch E comprising a body 37, ofnon-conducting material, made in two sections connected by a metal plate17 and, metal latch-plates at the ends of the"body, adapted to slide; inthe outer knife-blades (J, as in the construc tion shown in Fig. 1, andsaid latch-plates 38' are adapted to engage contact-posts D for theouter knife-blades in the same manner as has been described withreference to Fig; 1 but an ordinary slotted contact-post D is placed toreceive the outer portion of the intermediate 'knife-blade'G when theswitch is closed, and theintermediate knife-blade is provided with aslotthrough which the connecting-plate 1J7 loosely passes. 1 Rods 39 aresecured to the body of the latch-bar E, one at each side of its center,and these rods pass outwardly and loosely through the cross-bar 27Eachjrod is surrounded hy a spring 40, located between the latch E andthe cross-bar 27 Ears '41 are secured upon the upper central portionofthe cross-bar 27f, and in these ears the inner end of a handle F ispivoted, corresponding to the handle 'F, and sininverted-T projection-42 is carried down from. the handle near its pivot end, and the outerends ofthe rods 39 vare secured to'the horizontal section of saidprojection, so that'a switch constructed as shown in Fig. 5 is operatedidentically with the switch illustrated in Fig, 1. v

Having thus described my invention, l claim as new anddesire to secureby Letters P atent-- 1. In an electrical switch, binding-posts,knife-blades pivotally' connected with the binding-posts, contact-postsadapted to receive free portions of the said knife-blades, said contact-'postsfbeing provided with keeper-heads, a latch operating between theknife-blades-to and from the keeper-sections of the said keeper-posts tolock the said knifeblades to said contact-posts or to unlock themtherefrom. v v I .2. In an electric switch, binding-posts, knife-bladespivoted-to the said posts, a connecting medium between the outer ends ofthe. said knife-blades, contact-posts having slotted and beveled upperends and recesses below the beveled surfaces, and a; springcontrolledlatch operative between the knifeblades in'front of the contact-posts,for locking engagement with the keeper-sections of.

sand posts. a

3. .In an electric switch, binding-posts,

knife blades'pivoted to the said posts, a con nectin ,medium between theouter ends of. v

the said knife-blades, contact-posts having slotted and beveled upperends and recesses,

below the beveled surfaces, and asprin -controlled latch operativebetween the ife blades-in front of the contact-posts for lockingengagement with the'keeper-sections of said posts, the said latchconsisting of a body of insulating material and metal latchplates 5which en a e with the contact-posts, whereby the saidlatch acts as alocking device and a conductor.

Q. 4. In electric knife-blade switches, a combined latch and conductingdevice carried by the knife-blades and adapted for engagement with thecontact-posts of said blades. 5. In an electric switch, binding-posts,contact-posts, the contact-posts being provided with recesses 1ntheir-outer faces'and with slots in their upper ends, knife-blades 4pivoted to the binding-posts, being adapted to enter the slots in. thecontact-posts, a spring-controlled combined lock-latch and conductoroperatively placed between the said knife-blades and opposite therecessed portions of the contactosts for locking engagement therewith, aandle for operating the said knife-blades, and an operative connectionbetween the handle and the latch. 6. In electric switches, the"combination .2 5 with a knife-blade switch, contact-posts for theswitch, a combined latch andconducting device connected with the switch,a handle for the switch and an operative connectionbetween the handleand the latch, whereby the movement of the handle for opening andclosing the switch will move the latch out of and into engagement withthe contact-posts.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of 3 5 two subscribing witnesses.

GUSTAV W. LIDEN. Witnesses: I

J. FRED. AoKER,

JNO. M. BITTER.

